字 字源HanziOrigin
中文EnglishFrançaisEspañolالعربيةРусский
爱
ài
love, care
At a glance · 爱

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

爱 Evolution of the glyph
  1. 爱 Object sketch
    Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
  2. 爱 Oracle bone
    Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
  3. 爱 Seal script
    Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
  4. 爱 Clerical script
    Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
  5. 爱 Regular script
    Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE
Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

爱字小篆从夂㤅声，为形声字；本义为喜爱、爱护。甲骨文未见。

What the sketch shows

爱 Object sketch

Origins & notes

爱本义为喜爱、仁爱。

Structure

形声字，下部『夂』为意符表行走关爱，上部为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinài
Radical爫
Strokes10
UnicodeU+7231
Character type形声
Theme德行

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English love, care Ai is a phonetic-semantic character meaning to love and care for.
Français aimer, soin Ai est un caractère phonético-sémantique signifiant aimer et prendre soin.
Español amar, cuidar Ai es un carácter fonosemántico que significa amar y cuidar.
العربية يحب، يرعى آي حرف صوتي دلالي يعني الحب والرعاية.
Русский любить, заботиться Ай — фоносемантический знак, означающий любить и заботиться.

Common words

  • 爱护ài hùcare
  • 爱情ài qínglove

Related characters

爵